


Lowlands Away

by ToBebbanburg



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, always the best plan, another pirate fic but this time its lesbians, but a song from at least the 1600s, quynh distracts andy with sex, shantyfic?, songfic in a way I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:55:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25753936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBebbanburg/pseuds/ToBebbanburg
Summary: “I dreamed my love came in my sleepLowlands, lowlands away my loveHer cheeks were wet her eyes did weepLowlands away”The song had always seemed melancholy to Anne, reminding her of the pain Quynh had gone through, and the pain one of them would go through when the other was inevitably lost forever. Quynh sets about to replace Anne's negative thoughts about the song with something more joyous... through the medium of sex.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	Lowlands Away

**Author's Note:**

> Look I just love the pirate setting for these guys, and had to let Quynh and Andy have sexy 18th century fun too. But also angst. Sorry.

_“I dreamed a dream the other night_   
_Lowlands, lowlands away my love_   
_My love she came dressed all in white_   
_Lowlands away”_

  
“Oh, I love this one.” Quynh took another sip of her drink and shuffled closer to Anne. They were staying at the Dancing Dolphin Inn in Kingston, taking a rest from piracy in favour of lying low for a while, and Quynh was enjoying the change of pace. It was late in the evening, and the tavern’s patrons had all either retired to their rooms for the night or were sleepily sitting by the fire, listening to a sailor with a surprisingly beautiful voice sing. She had Anne by her side and warmth in her body and soul, and couldn’t seem to remember a time when she had been so at peace.

“I don’t.” Anne said, oddly brisk, breaking Quynh’s feelings of calm.

“No?” Quynh asked. The song was beautiful, she thought, the melody calming yet strangely mournful. She turned her head up to look at her lover, and was surprised to see tears welling in her eyes. There were very few things that made Anne cry, and she had never expected to count music amongst them.

“Anne, what’s wrong?” She asked.

“Listen.” Anne said, her jaw clenched.

  
_“I dreamed my love came in my sleep_   
_Lowlands, lowlands away my love_   
_Her cheeks were wet her eyes did weep_   
_Lowlands away”_

  
“I can’t help but think about you. The dreams I had. How beautiful you were, how I longed to meet you, yet how I saw you suffer and die over and over. It was torture.” Anne's voice was low, thick with emotion. It made Quynh's heart ache to hear her talk so.

“But we found each other.” Quynh set her mug down and took one of Anne’s hands in her own, lifting it up to kiss. “And I’ll never let you out of my sight again.” She added with a grin.

“Listen.” Anne said again, her voice barely above a whisper, and Quynh sobered as she listened to the words rather than the music.

  
_“She made no sound, nor words she said_   
_Lowlands, lowlands away my love_   
_And then I knew my love was dead_   
_Lowlands away”_

  
“But I’ll come back.” Quynh said, though even as she said the words she knew they would not always be true. Lykon had gone, and there was no telling which of them would go next, or when. She finally understood how Anne could only hear the sorrow in the song, not the beauty, and her heart hurt to think that something so soft and simple could reduce the great Andromache to tears.

“I do not wish to be reminded of past hurt, or to think of the sorrow that is yet to come. I would prefer to live in the moment but this song... I cannot bear it.” Anne said stiffly, before taking Quynh’s discarded mug and finishing off the contents in one gulp.

“I understand.” Quynh said quietly.

“I know. I’m sorry- I have drunk too much, clearly.” Anne shook her head and tried to laugh it off, but Quynh could tell she was still wrapped up in a terrible future.

“Shhh. Do not worry.” Quynh said, taking Anne’s chin in her hand and angling her just so so that she could lean in and kiss her. Anne kissed her back, desperately, as if they only had this one moment left together. Quynh indulged her, trying her best to distract Anne from her thoughts, though she hated that something so sweet as sharing a kiss came from such a place of sorrow.

“Let’s forget the past. Forget the future.” Quynh said boldly, standing up and holding out her hand to Anne. “Come to bed with me now and I promise you will forget all your troubles.”

“A great promise indeed.” Anne forced a laugh, but took Quynh’s hand and let herself be led upstairs to their room.

  
*****

  
“I need your help.” Quynh addressed both Joe and Nico the next morning. “I need you to keep Anne occupied for most of today. I have some errands to run.”

“And did you really have to ask us this before the sun has properly risen?” Joe tried to rub the sleep from his eyes as he sat up in his bed, struggling to focus on Quynh. Nico was still sleeping, or pretending to sleep, and didn’t move. It didn’t matter: if she could get one of them to agree to her plan, that was as good as having both.

“I had to ask before Anne wakes up. So she doesn’t get suspicious.”

“What are these errands then?” Joe asked, getting more interested now that he was properly awake.

“That, my friend, is none of your business.” Quynh teased, knowing how frustrated that would make Joe. “I want to surprise Anne, that’s all.”

“Is it a surprise or a _surprise_?” The insinuation of what the second ‘surprise’ meant was clear both in Joe’s tone and the way he sleepily smirked at her. He was always worryingly good at reading between the lines.

“A little bit of both.” Quynh said, somewhat truthfully.

“Please, Joe, no more questions. I think there are some things we should perhaps not know.” Nico mumbled, his words woolly due to the proximity of his face to his pillow.

“He’s right.” Quynh said, creeping back out of the men’s bedroom.

“He usually is.” Joe agreed as she shut the door behind her.

  
*****

  
Joe and Nico’s distraction proved to be a resounding success. Quynh had more than enough time to carry out her errands, and made it back to the inn well before the others returned. Anne suspected something, of course she did, but she didn’t know _what_ , and she knew well enough not to push Quynh over the matter.

It was a few days later when Quynh received a message saying that her purchase was ready for collection, and this time she didn’t bother trying to distract Anne as she slipped out the inn and made her way through town. She would find out what it was soon enough.

The dress, for that was what Quynh had bought, was gorgeous. They had all spent so long both at sea and on the run that Quynh’s clothes were now more patches than original material, and terribly unflattering to boot. Not that she or Anne particularly cared: they both loved each other so much that they each thought the other looked wonderful no matter what they wore, but this, Quynh was certain, would make an impact on Anne.

The dress was a deep crimson, a colour Anne had always said was made for Quynh, and was embellished with black braid along the sleeves and bodice. The neckline was lower than anything Quynh had worn in a long time, but combined with the new pair of stays she had also purchased it gave her the most modern, desirable silhouette. She had decided not to buy new shoes to complete the look: they would only get in the way of what she had planned, and would barely be seen anyway.

Package carefully bundled in her arms, Quynh picked her way back through the streets of Kingston, trying very hard not to rush. Anne was waiting for her when she returned, of course she was, a mug of ale already in her hand and a questioning lift to her eyebrows as she spotted Quynh enter the inn’s main room.

“Shopping?” she asked, the corner of her mouth twitching upwards ever so slightly in a way that made Quynh want to lean in and kiss her.

“Shopping.” Quynh confirmed, sliding onto the bench opposite from Anne, positioning the parcel so it was hidden from Anne’s line of sight.

“Do I get to see what it is?”

“Hmmm.” Quynh pretended to consider, tapping her index finger against her lower lip. “Why don’t you go back upstairs to our room and wait. I _may_ come up and show you what I bought.”

There was no “may” about it: Anne knew that playing coy was part of whatever Quynh was planning, and seemed willing enough to play along. A slow smile spread across her face as she read Quynh’s intentions, and she nodded, once.

“Alright.” Anne said, her eyes dark with interest as she tried to look past Quynh to the package. “I hope you will not be too long.”

She stood, picking up her mug as she did, and made her way towards the stairs up to the rooms. As soon as she was gone, Quynh sought out Charlotte, one of the women who worked at the inn, who had promised to help her dress and do her hair. Quynh was used to loose trousers and looser shirts, and had quickly learnt that she would need a practised pair of hands to help her fasten up the dress. Charlotte even helped to style her hair, pinning most of it up and curling the strands that she left hanging to frame her face.

“She’s a lucky girl.” Charlotte nodded approvingly when she finished, manhandling Quynh until she was stood in front of a mirror. “And if she doesn’t appreciate it…” she let the sentence linger as she let Quynh admire her reflection, swishing her skirts back and forwards.

“Oh she will.” Quynh said confidently. “Thank you, Charlotte.”

“Let me know if you need help getting back out of it.” Charlotte laughed as Quynh left the room.

Quynh couldn’t make her way up to the room she shared with Anne fast enough. She looked wonderful, she knew she did, and she couldn’t wait for Anne to see it. She tentatively pushed the door open, pleased to see that Anne was already on the bed, dressed in nothing but a loose shirt and a worn pair of trousers patched up with bright patches of calico. She was lounging against the headboard, her fingers idly tapping out a tune on the bedclothes as she waited for Quynh. The tapping stopped as she took in the sight of her lover standing at the foot of the bed, and Quynh could swear that she heard Anne’s heart stop for a beat or two as well.

“Well.” Anne said softly, her eyes travelling up and down Quynh’s body.

“Do you like it?” Quynh asked, twirling on the spot to show off the dress.

“Oh I do, very much so.” Anne breathed.

“Good.” Quynh smiled, and gave a mock curtsy.

“What prompted this?”

“I thought I’d change your opinion of that song. Yes, it’s sad, but it’s sad because it’s about _love_. A love so great the whole world mourns when it’s over. _Our_ love.”

Quynh picked her skirts up and climbed onto the bed, crawling forward so that Anne had the best possible view of her cleavage.

“ _And bravely in her bosom fair, a red red rose my love did wear_ ” she recited the verse of the song softly, plucking the flower from her bodice and tucking it behind Anne’s ear.

“I’m fairly certain that’s a hibiscus.” Anne said, the beginnings of a smile on her face.

“Oh, you try finding roses at a moment’s notice in the Caribbean.” Quynh scoffed, and was pleased to see Anne smile fully then.

“When you next hear that cursed tune, I want you to remember this moment instead.” Quynh continued, and bent down to press a kiss to Anne’s lips.

Anne kissed her back, but it was soft and gentle and not at all what Quynh wanted. She licked into Anne’s mouth and tried to coax her tongue to respond. Quynh nibbled on Anne’s lower lip then sucked it between her own, prompting Anne to gasp and instinctively deepen the kiss. That was better.

Not wanting to lose momentum, Quynh took a hold of Anne’s hands and brought them up so they rested on her breasts. The stays she had purchased did wonderful things for her breasts, she knew, and Anne moaned into Quynh’s mouth as she held them in her hands. She ran a finger along the neckline of the dress, dipping it down below the fabric until it grazed against one of Quynh’s nipples. She huffed a laugh as Quynh’s breath stuttered, rubbing the nub until it hardened under her touch.

Not content to just touch, Anne bent her head and kissed the tops of Quynh’s breasts, her mouth wonderfully warm against her bare skin. Her tongue traced swirls on her skin as she kissed across her chest, briefly dipping into Quynh’s cleavage as her hands roamed up and down her sides. Quynh allowed her to take her fill, delighting in the way Anne was exploring her body as if it were their first time together. She had set this moment up to create new memories for Anne, and so let her take over their lovemaking, setting the pace of their movements.

Soon, Anne’s hands found their way underneath Quynh’s skirts, lifting the fabric up until it bunched around her hips. Her mouth was still on Quynh’s chest, and Quynh managed to find enough give in her stays to lift her breasts out of their confinement. Anne made a noise of approval as she moved to close her lips around one of Quynh’s nipples, sucking softly as her fingers slowly made their way up to where Quynh needed them most. Quynh was already wet, eager for Anne’s touch, and as Anne gently pressed on her clit she couldn’t stop the gasp that left her lips.

“You look so wonderful like this.” Anne murmured as she rubbed Quynh with her thumb, her fingers already heading lower, deeper inside her. “We should retire from piracy, stay here, and you should never leave my bed.”

Quynh laughed, though it soon turned into a sob as Anne crooked her fingers inside her, causing her to arch off the bed. Anne knew the exact places to touch her, to tease her, and the waves of pleasure crested and crashed over her as Anne worked her over.

“So good for me.” Anne said, more to herself than to Quynh, and gently bit down on a nipple, wringing another sob out of Quynh.

Quynh was entirely at Anne’s mercy, the other woman coaxing cries and moans out of her with increasing frequency until she came, thrusting against Anne’s wicked fingers. Anne chuckled against her chest as Quynh stiffened then relaxed, only removing her fingers when she was certain Quynh had reached her peak. Quynh allowed herself a few seconds to come back to her senses, then moved down Anne’s body until she was level with the other woman’s sex.

She hooked her fingers into the waistband of Anne’s trousers, her thumb idly tracing over the laces that held them tied, and looked up at Anne through her curls.

“May I?” she asked innocently, her tongue darting out to teasingly lick along her top lip in suggestion of what she really wanted.

“Please.” Anne almost groaned, her own hands coming down to untie her trousers and help Quynh pull them off her legs. Her need was evident, and Quynh ran a finger through the gathering slick before sucking the same finger into her mouth, never breaking eye contact with Anne. When Anne looked like she was a second away from taking matters into her own hands, Quynh lowered her head and took Anne into her mouth.

She loved doing this. Loved the way she could direct each moan, each buck of Anne’s hips with a flick of her tongue or the right amount of pressure. Loved the way she had never felt closer to her, more in tune with her lover’s body. Loved the _taste_ of her, the very essence of Andromache there for her to enjoy as she wished.

Anne moaned as Quynh’s tongue circled her clit, Quynh alternating between sucking and licking until she could feel Anne’s thighs trembling beneath her hands. It wasn’t long before Anne was coming, Quynh continuing to work her mouth and tongue against her as she shook with her release.

Quynh settled back on her heels, admiring the look of Anne lying thoroughly wrecked on their bed, her chest still rising and falling as though she had been running or fighting. Anne noticed her watching and quirked her mouth.

“Come up here.” She ordered, and Quynh happily obliged, slotting into the space next to Anne and nestling her face into the crook of her neck.

“Thank you.” Anne whispered, straining her neck to drop a kiss onto the top of Quynh’s head. “I will treasure this memory forever.”

“Good.” Quynh said simply, though the monotone answer still shone with the joy she felt at her plan having worked so well. “I’m sure we’ll get more use out of the dress.” She added, prompting a low noise of approval from Anne in response.

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, but the rhythmic movements of Anne’s chest soon started to lull her to sleep. As she yawned contentedly, she could hear Anne softly humming under her breath as she stroked Quynh’s hair.

  
_"Lowlands, lowlands away, my love"_

*****

It worked, for a while. For a few decades at least whenever Andy heard that song she thought of Quynh’s determination that day, of the way she had laughed and smiled and loved. Then Quynh had been torn from her, and the deep sorrow of the song had returned, more terrible than before now that it had truly all come to pass. It played in her nightmares as she dreamt of Quynh lost at sea, drowning over and over again, her screams silent and eternal. She heard the mournful melody on the wind whenever she was by the sea, her mind cruelly imagining the notes played in the breeze, in the waves.

  
_"She made no sound, nor words she said_   
_Lowlands, lowlands away my love_   
_And then I knew my love was dead_   
_Lowlands away"_

**Author's Note:**

> I went to see the Assassin’s Creed Orchestra last year and as emotional as the music is I managed to hold it in and not cry, right up to the encore where the choir did the most beautiful rendition of Lowlands Away ever and I cried like a baby. So. Yeah. I’m totally not pushing my own feelings about this song onto fictional characters...


End file.
